If you’re the type of person who gets his rocks off getting mad at lists of the greatest whatevers of all-time, you’re going to PLOTZ or get black out drunk, depending on whether you’re more #10 and #9, at Entertainment Weekly‘s ranking of the 10 best TV shows ever. As far as these lists go, it’s not that bad. The Andy Griffith Show is the obligatory “over-ranked old show” and Breaking Bad is preferable to Mad Men, but otherwise, all the classics are represented: The Simpsons, Seinfeld, The Sopranos, and The Wire, just so EW can say they have a black friend.

I actually kind of hate that The Wire is always going to top best-of TV lists — it’s easy to rip on movie critics for putting, say, Citizen Kane or Some Like It Hot at #1, because BOOOOO get with the times old man, but The Wire? Yeah, tough to argue with that. Eventually, there’ll be a backlash, though, and some contrarian will leave off The Wire and The Simpsons in favor of Boy Meets World and Dog with a Blog. And that little contrarian grew up to be…us.

10. Your Show of Shows (NBC, 1950-54)

The best-written, best-acted comedy/variety show in history, this showcase for Sid Caesar’s fearless slapstick and endlessly inventive verbal frenzy was the first to perfect a now-lost genre.

9. Mad Men (AMC, 2007-present)

An exquisitely textured retrodrama, Men isn’t just about impeccably dressed ad execs selling the American dream — it’s about the perils of secrets, success, and the struggle to lead an authentic life.

This is television’s consummate portrait of a rural idyll, with Griffith as the wisest, kindest, gentlest authority figure. Don Knotts’ jittery deputy helped pump up the laughs.

6. All in the Family (CBS, 1971-79)

The notion of a lovable bigot was unheard-of until producer Norman Lear and actor Carroll O’Connor brought us Archie Bunker, a man who was endearing in his love for his wife, Edith (played to dingbat perfection by Jean Stapleton), and a role model…in how not to behave.

5. The Sopranos (HBO, 1999-2007)

David Chase’s landmark mobster drama introduced us to what has become a ubiquitous presence on TV: the antihero. Whether you rooted for Mob boss Tony Soprano (the fearsomely intense James Gandolfini) or against him, you couldn’t help but be riveted by him, no matter which family he was battling.

4. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS, 1970-77)

Only the greatest, most detailed portrayal of a single career woman in TV history. With laughs and guts, MTM established the paradigm of ”the workplace family.” Moore proved to be one of the medium’s finest straight-women as well as one of its most beautiful comedians.

3. Seinfeld (NBC, 1989-1998)

Less the famous “show about nothing” than a show about the amusing, stressful, neurotic intricacies of friendship, Seinfeld converted Jerry Seinfeld’s observational stand-up routines into hilarious universal truths about the banality of life, value-added with catchphrases (not that there’s anything wrong with that). The most endlessly rewatchable sitcom since The Honeymooners.

2. The Simpsons (FOX, 1989-present)

It became the gold standard of the subversive dysfunctional-family comedy — animated or live-action — when the focus was shifted early on from punky son Bart to dad Homer, an id-driven but bighearted man child whose IQ is inversely proportional to his cholesterol levels. “I’m in no condition to drive. Wait, I shouldn’t listen to myself. I’m drunk!” is stupidity at its smartest.

1. The Wire (HBO, 2002-08)

The most sustained narrative in television history, The Wire used the drug trade in Baltimore, heavily researched by creator David Simon, to tell tales of race and class with unprecedented complexity. (Perhaps that’s why the show never won a much-deserved Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series and earned only two nominations for writing.) Politics, the war on drugs, labor unions, public education, the media — these were among the big themes, all examined through exquisitely drawn characters, such as the brilliant yet broken detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) and the great avenging thug Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), who will live on in legend.

Simpsons and The Wire? Okay, finally, GD finally a list where the top has the rightful owners. 1989-Present? Wow. That’s just mind blowing. There honestly needs to be a Simpsons channel by now. That would be on all day in my house. And if I was an orthodontist, I have that playing on the waiting room screens. I don’t want to subject people to “The Doctors” or “Wendy Williams” or “Why Invisalign is right for you” shit. I’m kind of getting off subject here. The important thing here is that Robin Thicke is an artist, and it doesn’t matter that his new song is a bit rapey, because it’s a good song, and a hot girl totally grinded my shit to it last night at the bar when it was “Service Industry Thursday.” $100 bill instantly turned to $50. Whaaaaat?!

@Gamaray18: That’s hilarious and probably a lot more thought out than most recent Simpson’s episodes. All I know is I went off to college in 2001 and didn’t have TV for a while. When I tried to go back and watch newer Simpsons a few years later it had really changed and not for the better. It just got random and stupid like Family Guy (and I think Family Guy does that much better)

By the way, I like Mad Men but I think it gets overrated by half because of boomer nostalgia (and self-importance). Breaking Bad seasons 3 and 4 are the only shows that have touched the Wire since 2008 in my opinion.

Okay don’t crucify me here internet. I just watched the first season of The Wire, and I gotta say…I’m not really feeling it.
It’s not that it’s bad, it definitely isn’t, but talk about a slow burn…Several if not most of the episodes felt loooong, like much longer than the hour they were. The plot was broken up so much that it felt like it was barely moving and I can’t really say that I give a shit about McNulty at this point or really any of the other major characters.
Granted there were a few great moments and the last two episodes were excellent. But I keep reading that Season 2 is even more tedious than this season.
I can judge how much a show keeps me interested in terms of how much I want to play Candy Crush while watching it.
Breaking Bad: No desire to touch or look at my phone for any reason, on the edge of my seat.
The Wire: Thinking about Candy Crush often and resisting urge to check e-mail.

My hypothesis: If that’s how you’re feeling about the Wire, Season 2 is likely to make you yearn for Season 1, and then Season 3 will make sweet, sweet love to you. I don’t think I ever would have made it through if it hadn’t been so highly praised, so you’re not alone there. The only noticeable difference between how you’re reacting and how I did is that I did like McNulty by the end of Season 1. Maybe that’s enough of a difference to completely obliterate my hypothesis. I don’t know.

I watched the first season of The Wire a while back and didn’t feel the need to keep going with it. I also felt pretty bored throughout, although the acting and production values are great. I also think Breaking Bad is overrated just because the plot is so ridiculous and unreal it borders on cartoonish.

I’ll just ignore you’re statement about Breaking Bad to avoid a giant argument. In terms of this that’s all I keep hearing is that Season 3 and 4 are where it’s at, but I literally can’t see myself getting through Season 2 when they’re are so many other shows out there that I want to try.
Plot wise, is there any way that I can jump straight ahead to Season 3 or will I be totally lost?

Same thing almost happened here. I slogged through the first few episodes thinking there was no was no way I was going to finish it. But I stuck with it because I had to see what everyone was talking about, and I’m glad I did because season 3 I found to be brilliant and it just continued from there. It may not be my favorite show, that would probably have to go to Mad Men, but it’s definitely worthy of all the praise it gets.

No one’s ever shortened “Mad Men” to “Men.” That accomplishes exactly two things: 1. It causes me to question your familiarity with the show, and 2. it confirms you’re a douchebag. But it’s EW, so that’s probably what they were going for.

Ah hell. I like Buffy, and Mad Men, and Seinfeld, The Simpsons, The Sopranos, and The Wire. I haven’t seen those older shows but I’m going to assume they’re good too. Should Breaking Bad be on here? Of course. But this isn’t a real list, there is no authority behind it. I would’ve included It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Arrested Development but that’s just me.

It always seems to me that most criticisms of Buffy come from people who just dismiss it out of hand based on it’s silly name, or have only seen a few episodes. The dialogue alone makes it a worthy watch, but add in the excellent character development and genuinely heart-wrenching story telling, and it totally earned is place in the top 10.